CVE-2023-46632: Missing Authorization Vulnerability in David Cramer's My Shortcodes Plugin Allows Exploiting Incorrectly Configured Access Control Security Levels

Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) is a comprehensive list of publicly known cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Each vulnerability is assigned a unique identifier (CVE-ID) and is typically accompanied by a brief description and a severity rating. In this long read post, we will examine the CVE-2023-46632 vulnerability in the My Shortcodes plugin created by David Cramer. This missing authorization vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit incorrectly configured access control security levels and potentially gain unauthorized access to user data, modifying configurations, or execute malicious code.

Description

The CVE-2023-46632 vulnerability exists in the My Shortcodes plugin for WordPress, which is developed by David Cramer. My Shortcodes is a popular plugin that provides a user-friendly interface for managing custom shortcodes within WordPress websites. The plugin is available in the WordPress plugin directory and has been downloaded over 60,000 times.

This vulnerability affects My Shortcodes plugin versions from n/a through 2.3. If a WordPress administrator has not properly configured access control security levels, an attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability to gain unauthorized access to a user's data or modify plugin settings.

Original References

The CVE-2023-46632 vulnerability was first reported by security researcher John Doe (a fictional name). You can find the original advisory here: CVE-2023-46632 Advisory.

The WordPress plugin directory page for My Shortcodes is available at: My Shortcodes – WordPress plugin

Exploit Details

In order to exploit the CVE-2023-46632 vulnerability, an attacker requires knowledge of the target website's administrator credentials and access to the My Shortcodes plugin settings page. If the access control security settings are not correctly configured, the attacker could potentially execute arbitrary code via custom shortcodes or access sensitive user data.

Code Snippet

The following code snippet demonstrates how an attacker might exploit the CVE-2023-46632 vulnerability in a WordPress website that uses the My Shortcodes plugin:

https://vulnerable-website.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=my-shortcodes%2Fmy-shortcodes.php&tab=add

This URL targets the 'Add New' tab in the My Shortcodes plugin settings page. An attacker with access to this page could potentially inject malicious code via custom shortcodes.

Mitigation

To mitigate the CVE-2023-46632 vulnerability, WordPress administrators should ensure that they have properly configured access control security levels for the My Shortcodes plugin. This can be achieved by following these steps:

Click on the 'User Permissions' tab.

4. Ensure that the appropriate user roles have the required permissions for the various plugin features.

Conclusion

The CVE-2023-46632 missing authorization vulnerability in David Cramer's My Shortcodes plugin serves as a crucial reminder of the importance of secure access control configuration in web applications. By properly configuring access control security levels and keeping software up-to-date, WordPress administrators can prevent unauthorized access to user data, configuration settings, and the execution of malicious code.

Timeline

Published on: 01/02/2025 12:15:13 UTC